Spotlight on new grants

At its recent meeting, the McConnell Foundation Trustees prioritized response to the COVID-19 emergency. This included short term funding for front line organizations; social innovations designed to support civil society organizations and small businesses; and an extension to a societal transition initiative in development.

COVID-19 Montreal Emergency Fund ($1M): This fund will be disbursed to community sector organizations to support urgent projects that meet basic needs: food distribution, support for those with mental health problems or facing isolation, homelessness, vulnerable women and marginalized families, and an urban Indigenous group.

  • Centraide Montreal $500K
    • Click here to request funding through the Centraide Emergency Fund 
  • La Fondation du Grand Montréal $100K
    • Click here to request funding through La Fondation du Grand Montréal 
  • Montreal shelters, $50K each:
  • Le Bon Dieu Dans la Rue, Old Brewery Mission, Sun Youth, The Salvation Army, Welcome Hall Mission
  • Mission Inclusion (formerly called L’Œuvre Léger) $100K
  • Resilience Montreal $50K

COVID-19 Food Security Fund ($500K): The Foundation will disburse this fund to intermediary organizations and networks. An initial grant of $300K is being made to Breakfast Clubs of Canada for its work across Canada, with a further $200k to be decided shortly.

Supporting organizations in adapting to COVID-19 ($100K): Managing organizations through an emergency like COVID-19 is a new experience for many leaders. Through the Innoweave platform, this allocation of funds will generate a webinar series, online micro coaching services and curated resource lists related to emergency response. 

COVID-19 Community Wealth Sharing Model ($100K): The COVID-19 crisis is putting thousands of small businesses in jeopardy. The Foundation’s Solutions Finance and Participatory City teams will work collaboratively with partners in three Canadian cities to test a community wealth-sharing model. It will create an on-line platform facilitating residents’ financial support for neighbourhood businesses through donations and pre-purchased goods and services.

COVID-19 Transition Places and Pathways: The EmergencE Room ($300K) COVID-19 will continue to play out for some time. It has already deepened the crises caused by climate change and rising inequality. This fund will be used to create and support a cross-sector collaborative to devise strategies and interventions for different stages of the unfolding crisis.

Associated contributions

Centraide’s Emergency Fund was created to respond to the urgent local needs during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis.

$ 500,000

To launch Project New Start OBM's institutional repositioning initiative.

$ 809,450

Funds from the foundation will support the establishment and operation of Resilience Montreal, which serves the homeless population in Cabot Square.

$ 300,000

Funding will be used for the construction of a carbon-neutral multi-functional community centre in the Parc Extension neighbourhood in Montreal.

$ 500,000